How do I send an email?
"One serious drawback about letters is that, in order to get them, one must send some out." (Joseph Epstein)
Before You Start
Next, you need to know the email address of anyone who you wish to contact. Make sure you have noted this address carefully and that it conforms to the "rules" described on the Email Addresses page. If it doesn't, it's highly likely that you've made a mistake in copying it down.
As I've already explained, it simply isn't possible to cover every email program out there. All I can do is describe the process generally. It's down to you to figure out the specifics associated with your email program. Remember - you can always use the Help facility within the program itself or ask someone for help if you become really stuck.
Writing An Email
- The "To" Line
- In the box labelled "To", type in the email address of the person, or company, you want to contact. Unike a normal paper letter, an email doesn't have a separate envelope. Instead, the "To" line is the electronic version of an envelope. Be careful when you type in the address as any mistakes (such as a , in place of a . ) may result in your email going to totally the wrong place or returned to you as undeliverable.
- The "From" Line
- It is highly likely that your own email address has already been set up in your email program as part of your original Internet connection. However, if you are using a computer on a network or a publically accessed computer, you need to make sure that your email address is entered in this section. Unfortunately, this section may well be buried deep in the email program so it could take some searching out. If you get stuck, refer to the Help Facility or ask someone. When you've finally found the appropriate section,type your address in carefully as any mistakes will mean that people will not be able to reply to you.
- The "Subject" Line
- In the box labelled "Subject", you can type in a short description of your email.
For example:
News from home (when writing to a relative or family friend)
or
Customer Complaint (when writing to a company with a complaint regarding their service).
The purpose of this line is to act as an aid to people who, during their working day, receive literally dozens of emails. The short subject line enables them to prioritise emails and sort them into official and private emails without having to open and read each and every one first.
Typing in a Subject description isn't essential. You can leave it blank if you really want to but it can help tremendously if you are contacting an official organisation by ensuring that your email is dealt with quickly and correctly.
The Email Message Itself
An email can be as formal, or informal as you like. As people become more and more used to the concept and ease of email, it is becoming common for messsages to be informal compared to the more stylised paper letters. So don't be suprised if a reply from a large company, to your very formal request for information, is quite relaxed and informal compared to the paper letters you normally receive.
Not everything has changed, however. It's still considered polite to sign your emails - although, with email, all you have to do is type your name at the end of your message in whatever form you feel is appropriate.
Sending Your Email
Do you want to doublecheck that address again?
When you're finally happy that everything is correct and complete, select the "Send" or "Send Message" option in your email program. One of two things will now happen:
- If you are using a computer that is part of a network, or is linked permanantly to the Internet, your email will be sent immediately.
- If you are using a computer which has to dial a telephone number every time it connects to the Internet, your mail will be placed in a separate waiting area (sometimes called an Outbox or a Queue) of your email program. The next time the computer connects to the Internet, your email will be either sent automatically or you may have to re-enter the email program and tell the computer to send any waiting mail out.
Depending on your email program, it may also automatically save a copy of your email message in a separate section (sometimes called the Sent Folder) so that you have a copy to refer back to, should you need it. If you're not sure whether your email program does this already, it's well worth finding out. If you are using your own computer, you may want copies of all your emails kept. If you're using someone else's computer or a publically accessed computer, you may prefer to ensure that copies of your private emails are not available for others to read. Either way, it's worth investigating.
Your email will probably reach it's destination within minutes of being sent. However, don't expect a reply immediately or even within a few hours. Computers may be capable of working for 24 hours but people aren't. They need things like sleep and food! So, even if your email is waiting in someone's mailbox within seconds, it may be a day or so (or even longer) before they connect to the Internet, download and read it - let alone reply to it.